Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 55.67
Liaison Jim Walker
Submission Date March 21, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Texas at Austin
PA-8: Affordability and Access

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.79 / 4.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have policies and programs in place to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
Yes

A brief description of any policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students:
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A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:

The Office of Institutional Equity offers an Inclusive Classroom Leadership series of training to help teaching assistants and faculty members understand students from diverse backgrounds and better serve those students in the classroom.


A brief description of any programs to prepare students from low-income backgrounds for higher education:

Five UT Outreach Centers located in Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and South Texas work with low-income and first-generation students in targeted low-income, underserved high schools. The Outreach Centers have vigorous programs that includes tutoring, study skills workshops, workshops to prepare for the SAT and ACT exams, assistance with college applications, and special programming for parents and guardians to educate them with regard to student needs to be college eligible. http://ddce.utexas.edu/schoolpartnerships/

Similarly, the Advise Texas program is in 15 different low-income high schools around the state. Recent UT Austin graduates serve as college advisors at the schools, supporting students as they navigate the complex processes of college admissions, matriculation and securing financial aid. The advisors serve all students in a school and focus on helping students find the best college setting to suit their needs. http://ddce.utexas.edu/2016/2015/09/advise-tx-promotes-supports-and-enhances-pipeline-initiatives/


A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:

The University of Texas at Austin has numerous scholarship programs for students from low-income backgrounds. A summary of scholarships may be found at http://www.texasscholarships.org/

Our most innovative program is Texas Advance which offers $5,000 per year for four years as well as the opportunity to participate in the University Leadership Network program which includes a four-year roadmap for success, leadership training, community and university service and other opportunities. The University Leadership Network is for students with unmet financial needs. https://admissions.utexas.edu/afford/scholarships/texas-advance


A brief description of any programs to guide parents of low-income students through the higher education experience:

Our five UT Outreach Centers provide parent workshops throughout the year to help them understand what is expected of their students to apply and enter college. http://ddce.utexas.edu/schoolpartnerships/
Once students are at the university, the Texas Parents organization works to educate families. Texas Parents offers parent sessions during freshman orientation and Student Success programs like Gateway Scholars have parent sessions during orientation as well. http://texasparents.org/


A brief description of any targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:

DDCE Academic Diversity Initiatives led by Dr. Leonard Moore, Senior Associate Vice President for Academic Diversity Initiatives partners with the Office of Admissions to recruit students from low-income, first generation backgrounds. Dr. Moore and his team make special trips to low-income schools that are underrepresented at The University of Texas at Austin to provide parent and student sessions. Once students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds have applied and are admitted to UT Austin, the Longhorn Center for Academic Excellence (led by Dr. Moore) and the UT Outreach Centers co- sponsor an on-campus day-long event to recruit them to say yes, instead of selecting another university. This event helps students become more familiar with campus, introduces them to faculty and staff and provides access to student activities such as football games and special events. Staff members talk to them about special student services, study abroad, financial aid and academic support services that are available once they matriculate.
The Texas Advance scholarship program is another tool used to target low-income students. https://admissions.utexas.edu/afford/scholarships/texas-advance

We also partner with the Posse Foundation and Gates Millennial Scholars Program to help recruit students from diverse backgrounds.


A brief description of other admissions policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:

The Office of Admissions participates in local and statewide programs that address accessibility and affordability. One such program is the Feria Para Aprender (The Learning Fair) now in its tenth year. The Learning Fair is a Spanish-language education fair which hosts 10,000-13,000 attendees, and is designed to help Spanish-speaking parents become key leaders of their children’s academic success. Families receive thousands of free books, engage with hundreds of educational exhibits, experience science exhibits and demonstrations, and interact with hundreds of academic experts on college and careers success.


A brief description of other financial aid policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:

The University of Texas at Austin Office of Financial Aid has a suite of services available students including scholarships, work study opportunities, a clearinghouse for jobs on campus called “Hire a Longhorn,” an online course regarding money management called “BEVONOMICS” as well as occasional workshops related to managing money. http://finaid.utexas.edu/about/message.html


A brief description of other policies and programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students not covered above:

In addition to programs like The Learning Fair previously described, UT partners with hundreds of non-profit and education organizations to offer programming for low income, first generation, and underrepresented students in the central Texas area and across the state. The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement alone collaborates with 300 community organizations to cultivate mutually beneficial community-university partnerships that further the mission of UT to serve Texas and beyond, with an emphasis on historically and currently underserved communities. Some of those organizations include the National Hispanic Institute, 100 Black Men Inc., Con Mi MADRE (Mothers and Daughters Raising Expectations), My Brother’s Keeper, The Thinkery, Google Community Leaders Program, and many others.


Does the institution have policies and programs in place to support non-traditional students?:
Yes

A brief description of any scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:

All financial aid packages through the Office of Financial Aid are available to students taking at least 6 hours of coursework per semester. http://finaid.utexas.edu/faqs/eligibility.html#Q4


A brief description of any onsite child care facilities, partnerships with local facilities, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:
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A brief description of other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:

UTransition is a program within the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement’s Longhorn Center for Academic Excellence (LCAE). It is geared for students who transfer from community colleges or other four-year institutions to the University of Texas at Austin. The program provides academic support as well as social activities, peer mentoring and advising from the LCAE staff.

The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement also houses the Multicultural Engagement Center, the Gender and Sexuality Center and Services for Students with Disabilities which provide support (academic and social) for students of color, LGBTQ students and women, and students with disabilities. The GSC also has occasional special programs for students who are parents.
Links to these programs:
http://ddce.utexas.edu/multiculturalengagement
http://ddce.utexas.edu/genderandsexuality
http://ddce.utexas.edu/disability

There is also a Veterans Service Center on campus which provides a one-stop shop for veterans with regard to academic, social and health care services.
http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/veterans


Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (accessibility and affordability indicators)?:
Yes

Indicators that the institution is accessible and affordable to low-income students::
Percentage (0-100)
The percentage of entering students that are low-income 18
The graduation/success rate for low-income students 38
The percentage of student financial need met, on average 69
The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt 54

The percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students:
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The website URL where information about the institution's affordability and access programs is available:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The graduation/success rate for low-income students: The Provost’s Office has only recently begun tracking this; not enough years have elapsed to come up with a rate. However, they did produce estimates based on what inconsistent historical data was available and came up with a predicted four-year graduation rate of 38% for students from low-income backgrounds. HOWEVER, recently data collected the persistence rates of these students from the past two years are much higher, which bodes well for a higher graduation rate than predicted. For the Class of 2018 (entered in 2014), the freshman persistence rate was 92.5% (compared to 95.5% overall). For the Class of 2017, the sophomore persistence rate was 86.3% (compared to 90.5% overall).

https://sps.austin.utexas.edu/sites/ut/IRRIS/CDS/Forms/AllItems.aspx


The graduation/success rate for low-income students: The Provost’s Office has only recently begun tracking this; not enough years have elapsed to come up with a rate. However, they did produce estimates based on what inconsistent historical data was available and came up with a predicted four-year graduation rate of 38% for students from low-income backgrounds. HOWEVER, recently data collected the persistence rates of these students from the past two years are much higher, which bodes well for a higher graduation rate than predicted. For the Class of 2018 (entered in 2014), the freshman persistence rate was 92.5% (compared to 95.5% overall). For the Class of 2017, the sophomore persistence rate was 86.3% (compared to 90.5% overall).

https://sps.austin.utexas.edu/sites/ut/IRRIS/CDS/Forms/AllItems.aspx

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.